Afreen Mirza 
Jul 26, 2024
Last week, over 52 million* WhatsApp users in Pakistan faced significant disruptions, struggling to send and receive media files, including voice notes, photos, and videos, on the popular messaging app while using their mobile networks.
Complaints included media files either taking too long to download or not downloading at all, with some users receiving the message from WhatsApp: “Couldn’t download document. Try again. If the problem keeps happening, try connecting to Wi-Fi.”
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While reports suggested that the disruptions were due to a trial run by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the PTA has provided a different explanation. In response to a question from Gadinsider, Malahat Obaid, the spokesperson for PTA, stated: “There is no issue with WhatsApp or any social media apps currently. If anyone experienced such issues lately, it may have been due to a technical glitch.”
Earlier this week, a parliamentary body sought answers from the PTA regarding the disruption. Syed Aminul Haque, chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications, questioned Ministry of IT and Telecom officials about the disruption, but they redirected the inquiry to the PTA, the telecom sector regulator.
Committee members noted that WhatsApp was functioning efficiently through VPNs, indicating that the disruptions were local rather than international.
*The user number was taken from a 2024 report by the World Population Review.
